How do I approach Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) interview questions?

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) questions require understanding of core concepts and practice. PracHub provides solutions with explanations to help you master data manipulation (sql/python) interviews.

What difficulty level is this interview question?

This is a hard difficulty Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) question, commonly asked during Take-home Project rounds at Point72.

What role is this question designed for?

This question is commonly asked for Data Scientist candidates at Point72 during technical interviews.

Build the auction status table | Point72 Interview Question

Build the auction status table

Last updated: Apr 11, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates SQL data manipulation skills and relational querying competencies, including joins, aggregations, NULL handling, and identifying the most recent event per group, within the Data Manipulation (SQL/Python) domain for a Data Scientist role.

Point72

Jan 20, 2026, 12:00 AM

Data Scientist

Take-home Project

Data Manipulation (SQL/Python)

You are given three tables for an auction system.

Table: buyers

id INT PRIMARY KEY
username VARCHAR

Table: lots

id INT PRIMARY KEY
name VARCHAR
starting_price DECIMAL(10,2)
bid_step DECIMAL(10,2)

Table: bids

buyer_id INT
lot_id INT
bid_time TIMESTAMP

Relationships

bids.buyer_id references buyers.id
bids.lot_id references lots.id

Assume bid_time is stored in UTC, and for each lot the latest bid is uniquely determined by bid_time.

Write a SQL query that returns one row per lot with the following columns:

name : the lot name
starting_price : the lot's starting price
bids : the total number of bids placed on that lot
current_price : starting_price + bid_step * number_of_bids
current_winner : the username of the buyer who placed the most recent bid on that lot

Include lots that have received no bids. For such lots, return:

bids = 0
current_price = starting_price
current_winner = NULL

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